i just got a diaper back from a friend who'd been keeping it for me for months, and noticed how much softer it is than all my other diapers! i use dyed prefolds mostly, and not many of them because we ec, but i'm noticing now that all of them, but especially the premiums, are not soft anymore. i thought that part of the joy of cpfs is that they get softer with washing, like jeans...? anyway. having perused the current threads here for a few minutes, i'm thinking that what i have is a stripping issue. but that's weird because i use high efficiency detergent (persil) in a front loader (miele), with a prewash and 4 rinses, plus i use only about a tablespoon per load. could it be buildup still? should i try vinegar? i've never used fabric softener in my life. is it appropriate for diapers?

I'd try stripping them... start with just hot water. You might want to turn your hot water tank up for the process (but don't forget to turn it back down when you're done) If that doesn't work, there are lots of things people suggest here, sportwash and dawn soap spring to mind. Do a search on stripping diapers on this forum and see what turns up.

Regular fabric softener isn't a good idea on diapers. From what I understand, it coats the fibres of cotton and makes them less absorbant. Not good in a diaper! Plus it makes things less breathable (which is also bad in a diaper!) Downy Advance was okay but they stopped making it. I've heard that Ecover fabric softener is okay too. I haven't used either so can't tell you how they work.

If you line dry that will make your diapers stiffer. You can make them softer by drying them in the dryer.

I use Ecover softener with every wash. We have very hard water, and stripping doesn't make our prefolds any softer. They are very rough w/out the softener, as are some of the few fitteds we have--kissaluvs and sandys. I just strip once in a while to remove buildup, but I've noticed no issues with absorbency. I love Ecover! It makes the prefolds so soft. I use the full amount---a capful, sometimes a bit more for a large load.

I got some prefolds in the mail, and they were a little rough, probably because they were lined dried, smelled really good, but I like to rewash before I use, so I put just a little down advance in, had some here for wrinkle control, and it really softened them up.

Where do you get Ecover softener, because eventually I am going to run out of downy advanced?

i just got some from our local eco-minded grocery co-op. it was the only thing that worked: i washed them on hot (190) for two loads with no soap, but there were no suds, so i figured it wasn't a stripping thing...then tried some vinegar in the rinse, but that didn't work either. i've never used fabric softener before, so i'm curious to see whether absorbency will be affected, but they're definitely softer! not as soft as they could be, still, but definitely better.

cellulosic fibers require a low-acid or ideally an acid-free environment. if they are exposed to vinegar, esp. at high dosage or for long periods, the pH of the fibers will drop enough to make them crunchy and eventually cause them to disentegrate.

even if you have not been using vinegar, your water could be acidic, which is often seasonal (more so in the summer, less so in the winter). so over time, you could still be exposing your diapers to acidic conditions without even trying.

you need to use an alkali, enough to raise the pH of the FIBER to around 7. in a front loader, you need at least 2 full cups of baking soda, one full cup or washing soda (do not use this on dyed prefolds) OR 1/2 cup soda ash.

and avoid fabric softener, it will coat your diapers and make them less absorbent.

i know that some people claim they use vinegar and it softens there clothes or diapers. i can't dispute that unless i test their water, but the most common explanation for that result is that their water is already pretty high pH to begin with.

Get a pill shaver and shave those puppies. Try it on one and see if it helps. I did this when mine were feeling crunchy and a friend suggested it to me...like buttah, I tell you! It's time consuming but you don't have to do it very often (like, once a year maybe).

FWIW, my CPFs needed shaving MUCH more than my IPFs. They just get pillier, I guess.

I"ll have to try it on my cpfs. My ipfs are gorgeously soft but not the cpf's.

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What Rowena said. I use persil in a frontloader (I'm a Brit) and we need washing soda to keep the nappies soft: I don't use that much, though, normally about 80ml. Oh- I also live in an extremely hardwater area, so the water comes out of the taps grey. Nice, huh?

Helen mum to five and mistress of mess and mayhem, making merry and mischief til the sun goes down.